“Pro-Gun” States Lead Nation in Per Capita Firearm Death Rates New Violence Policy Center Analysis Reveals

For Release: Tuesday, February 7, 2006

Louisiana, Alaska, Wyoming, New Mexico, Alabama, Nevada, Mississippi, Montana, Arizona, and Arkansas Top List of Most Deadly States in the Nation

Washington, DC – Traditionally “pro-gun” states in the South and West lead the nation in overall firearm death rates according to a new analysis issued today by the Violence Policy Center (VPC) of just-released Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data. The new VPC analysis uses 2003 data (the most recent available) from the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. The analysis reveals that the top 10 states with the highest per capita gun death rates were Louisiana, Alaska, Wyoming, New Mexico, Alabama, Nevada, Mississippi, Montana, Arizona, and Arkansas. Each of the top 10 states had a per capita gun death rate of at least 15 per 100,000, far exceeding the national per capita gun death rate of 10.36 per 100,000.

States With Highest Per Capita Gun Death, 2003

Rank

State

Number ofGun Deaths

Gun Death Rate per 100,000

Rank

State

Number of Gun Deaths

Gun Death Rate per 100,000

1

Louisiana

847

18.84

6

Nevada

374

16.69

2

Alaska

120

18.50

7

Mississippi

477

16.56

3

Wyoming

89

17.76

8

Montana

145

15.80

4

New Mexico

326

17.39

9

Arizona

849

15.21

5

Alabama

765

17.00

10

Arkansas

413

15.15

VPC Executive Director Josh Sugarmann states, “All of these states pride themselves on being `pro-gun – but the numbers show that guns kill.”

About the Violence Policy Center
The Violence Policy Center is a national educational organization working to stop gun death and injury. Follow the VPC on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

The Violence Policy Center is a national tax-exempt educational organization working for a safer America through research, investigation, analysis, and advocacy. The VPC provides information to policymakers, journalists, organizations, advocates, and the general public. Click here to learn more.